So can we unlock our iPhones now?

B

bob616

macrumors 6502
So please correct me if I am wrong but what I understood was that we were unable to call AT&T and request an unlock for the iPhone because AT&T had a 5 year exclusivity contract with apple right?

So now that the iPhone is coming to verizon that means the contract is over and we can call AT&T and request to have our phones unlocked right?
 
bob616 said:
So please correct me if I am wrong but what I understood was that we were unable to call AT&T and request an unlock for the iPhone because AT&T had a 5 year exclusivity contract with apple right?
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Nope, that's wrong.

AT&T doesn't unlock iPhones because AT&T decided they didn't want to unlock iPhones. So they'll only start unlocking them when they decide they like the idea.

And even if they did, their customers don't have many places to go in the U.S. For most people, T-Mobile EDGE is all they can use. I doubt it would be very popular even if they did offer it.
 
Wiki source .....


United States

One of the two national GSM carriers, T-Mobile,[42] will unlock handsets for those with active account in good standing for at least 40 days and no unlock code request in the last 90 days. T-Mobile will also unlock a phone if the full retail price is paid and proof of purchase is provided through a faxed document. The other, AT&T Wireless,[43] will usually do so once one has concluded his or her contract, but may also unlock the phone in some other situations as well. Neither carrier is compelled to unlock phones by any law or regulation, and they may choose not to unlock certain phones. For example, AT&T has stated that they themselves will not unlock iPhones under any circumstances, regardless of the legality of doing so, even after customers are out of contract.[44]

It was first publicly discussed by the FCC in 2006, after a submission to the US Librarian of Congress concerned respect to Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemptions, and Stanford law professor Jennifer Granick specifically stated that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not prohibit handset locking.[45] The DMCA formerly was claimed to criminalize unlocking. However, an exemption introduced on November 27, 2006 specifically permits it. The exemption was scheduled to expire on October 27, 2009,[46] but was extended on an interim basis, because the Register of Copyrights had not yet completed its triennial review of DMCA exemptions.[47] In July 2010, the Librarian of Congress extended the DMCA exemption for another 3 years.[48][49]
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AT&T said they won't and Apple abides by that. Only Europeans get unlocked iPhones (also Asia).
 
All carriers unlock iPhones free of charge in Australia and the iPhone 4 supports every single carrier and all of there frequencies and is also sold on every single carrier.
 
Brazil also gets unlocked iPhones on all carriers. It's the law here that operators can't keep your phone locked if it is in fact yours (paid full price/no longer under contract).

There should be something similar in the US...
 
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Are their legal regulations for unlocking phones in europe, canada and elsewhere? I guess what I'm asking is why can it be done in many parts of the world but not the US.
 
maflynn said:
Are their legal regulations for unlocking phones in europe, canada and elsewhere? I guess what I'm asking is why can it be done in many parts of the world but not the US.
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I don't know if there is any legislation as such, but OfCom (the UK's independent communications regulator) has worked to ensure that phone can be unlocked at the end of the contract and any fees charged should only cover the actual cost of unlocking (they advise a max of £36).

Can't say about the rest of the EU and the wider world.
 
Our own government supports the crippling (theft) of our property by the carriers.

They should be compelled by law to unlock the phones after the contract terms are satisfied. Heck, they should do it before then for that glorious feature everyone on this forum is constantly touting as the greatest feature of GSM, being able to travel globally and pop in a local sim.

Edit: Any why lock the stupid phone in the first place? To make sure I can't leave AT&T and use it on another carrier? IT DOESN'T FULLY WORK ON ANY US CARRIER! Even if it did, crippling my phone is NOT the way to ensure I pay up. Isn't that what the #### contract is for in the first place?

Sorry, but this is one subject that really pisses me off.
 
The day American cell phone carriers unlock their phones for their customers is the day when we get communication chips built into our cranium, and even then, there's a chance they continue locking anything that comes with a contract of theirs. (Future cell phone zombie apocalypse)

There's only one solution, move across the boarder or overseas. :)
 
Geckotek said:
Our own government supports the crippling (theft) of our property by the carriers.

They should be compelled by law to unlock the phones after the contract terms are satisfied. Heck, they should do it before then for that glorious feature everyone on this forum is constantly touting as the greatest feature of GSM, being able to travel globally and pop in a local sim.

Edit: Any why lock the stupid phone in the first place? To make sure I can't leave AT&T and use it on another carrier? IT DOESN'T FULLY WORK ON ANY US CARRIER! Even if it did, crippling my phone is NOT the way to ensure I pay up. Isn't that what the #### contract is for in the first place?

Sorry, but this is one subject that really pisses me off.
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That's why we have the iPhone Dev Team for.
 
It is because US politicians are nose deep in corporate favors.

The day government favors the people over companies will be a great day indeed.
 
maflynn said:
Are their legal regulations for unlocking phones in europe, canada and elsewhere? I guess what I'm asking is why can it be done in many parts of the world but not the US.
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You can actually go to an apple store in Canada and buy an unlocked iphone for the full price out the door
 
walie said:
You can actually go to an apple store in Canada and buy an unlocked iphone for the full price out the door
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You can do that in Europe, too, but you still need a cell phone contract with cellular data to keep the costs low. In any way, I would still recommend buying it with a contract to knock off the price.
 
vant said:
It is because US politicians are nose deep in corporate favors.

The day government favors the people over companies will be a great day indeed.
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The U.S. Congress gets so many millions from corporations; election campaigns, expensive trips, drugs, hookers, and slush funds. The corporations have even convinced the DOJ that finding music/video "pirates" is more important than finding terrorists. Homeland Security is also more concerned with video piracy than actually protecting american citizens. After all, how many millions did citizens slip under the table to Congress or the regulatory agencies? Zero.

Congress will never pass any kind of law that would require carriers to unlock phones. too many congress people would get kneecapped if they did.
 
old-wiz said:
The U.S. Congress gets so many millions from corporations; election campaigns, expensive trips, drugs, hookers, and slush funds. The corporations have even convinced the DOJ that finding music/video "pirates" is more important than finding terrorists. Homeland Security is also more concerned with video piracy than actually protecting american citizens. After all, how many millions did citizens slip under the table to Congress or the regulatory agencies? Zero.

Congress will never pass any kind of law that would require carriers to unlock phones. too many congress people would get kneecapped if they did.
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Keep this talk in PSRI before I call a mod your arses...
 
Macaroony said:
You can do that in Europe, too, but you still need a cell phone contract with cellular data to keep the costs low. In any way, I would still recommend buying it with a contract to knock off the price.
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The price you pay for the phone doesn't reduce just because you get it subsidized on a contract: all you are doing is spreading the cost of the phone out over the 2 year contract.

I save £15 a month on my contract cost in the UK by buying the phone outright and using a sim-only contract. Over the course of a 2 year contract, I am therefore paying £360 less in contract fees which is the exactly the extra cost of the phone without a contract (£599 vs £239). I also have the flexibility to change my phone every year if I want to: in the UK, there are no early termination of contracts allowed and you can't get contracts for less than 18 months so if you want to change every year you are far better off buying the phone outright and selling it on on eBay when you want to change it
 
jav6454 said:
Keep this talk in PSRI before I call a mod your arses...
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I started it...sorry. Back to your regularly scheduled iPhone forum banter please. :p

Phil A. said:
The price you pay for the phone doesn't reduce just because you get it subsidized on a contract: all you are doing is spreading the cost of the phone out over the 2 year contract.

I save £15 a month on my contract cost in the UK by buying the phone outright and using a sim-only contract. Over the course of a 2 year contract, I am therefore paying £360 less in contract fees which is the exactly the extra cost of the phone without a contract (£599 vs £239)
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Yes, we get how it works.

Unfortunately the sim-only plan is not an option in the US.
 
Macaroony said:
The day American cell phone carriers unlock their phones for their customers is the day when we get communication chips built into our cranium, and even then, there's a chance they continue locking anything that comes with a contract of theirs. (Future cell phone zombie apocalypse)

There's only one solution, move across the boarder or overseas. :)
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Dont worry I heard the Dev-Team is already hard at work on this......:cool:
 
Phil A. said:
The price you pay for the phone doesn't reduce just because you get it subsidized on a contract: all you are doing is spreading the cost of the phone out over the 2 year contract.

I save £15 a month on my contract cost in the UK by buying the phone outright and using a sim-only contract. Over the course of a 2 year contract, I am therefore paying £360 less in contract fees which is the exactly the extra cost of the phone without a contract (£599 vs £239). I also have the flexibility to change my phone every year if I want to: in the UK, there are no early termination of contracts allowed and you can't get contracts for less than 18 months so if you want to change every year you are far better off buying the phone outright and selling it on on eBay when you want to change it
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But how much are you paying for the cellular data with a sim-only contract? Here in Switzerland we can get about three packages (it varies with the carrier), the most expensive one includes unlimited internet access.

As for changing the phone mid-contract, this is a given for European cell phones as the contract doesn't bind you to a specific phone but it makes sense buying a smartphone with a contract since you still need to set it up first to work with your sim card.
 
I've always wondered this as well. What if you bought an iPhone locked in the U.S. but were moving to Europe/Asia? Can AT&T still deny the unlock or can you just simply unlock when you get to your place of destination?
 
Very recently, not only did Apple sign a contract with Verizon, but also a new contract with AT&T. What exactly were these contracts? Probably no one knows for sure, but I'd be willing to be they were exclusivity agreements. One for GSM phones in the US (AT$T) and one for CDMA phones in the US (Verizon'$ agreement).

Therefore, it doesn't look like an unlock is coming very soon.
 
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